Sims Municipal Recycling - Sunset Park Material Recovery Facility — Local services in New York

My trip to the Sims Municipal Recycling facility was a fascinating and informative experience, starting with the journey itself. Coming from Hartford, CT, I took the most direct route via I-95, I-678, and I-495 West, eventually connecting to the I-278 expressway. The exit at 23 was a straightforward route to the facility, which is conveniently located near the Costco parking lot. The access and parking for trucks and visitors were easy to navigate, and the attached dock pictures were a great help in getting oriented. ​What's immediately impressive about this place is its scale and efficiency. I learned that this facility is a 24/7 operation from Monday through Saturday, with loading also happening around the clock during those days. The fact that it re-opens at 10 PM on Sunday shows just how critical and continuous this process is for New York City's waste management. It's a non-stop machine that works tirelessly to handle the city's recyclables. Loading is fast and you get...

Why would someone go to, nevertheless write a review of a recycling factory, especially a 5 star review?! While I can't speak to the underlying output and success of the factory itself, SIMS offers a fantastic guided tour, showing New Yorkers how their trash gets processed and recycled.

Tours are about 60 to 90 minutes and lead you through the whole factory, highlighting how the material comes in, how its initially deposited, sorted, and shipped out to people who want recycled material for use.

While not the best place for a date spot, there's definitely something cool about getting to go see how a little piece of New York City runs beneath the surface. There's also hands on exhibits for kids to learn a bit about how recycling works and (metaphorically) get their hands dirty with the toy...

This is a state of the art facility where all of NYC's recycleable matertals begin their journey. Equiped with solar and wind energy generation as well as other sustainable features too numerous to mention here (i.e. bioswales, Newton canal, barge and railway revitalization), they have and outreach and educational center open to the public - very visitor friendly. This 20 yr profit sharing venture with NYC GOV (with 2 10 yr optional extensions) is completely unknown to it's citizens while major cities around the globe watch to see if this is a potential renaissance of a new industrial revolution. Learn about the SIMS facility in Brooklyn NYC that can...